Saudi Arabian authorities have sanctioned the Nitaqat Saudisation programme, a significant move that integrates foreign investors into the workforce as Saudi nationals.
According to reports from local media, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has endorsed the initiative under the Nitaqat Saudisation scheme, aiming to count foreign investors among the Saudi workforce in statistical evaluations.
This inclusion is a key aspect of the criteria used to assess Saudisation levels, as delineated by the Qiwa platform associated with the ministry. The platform highlights that certain non-Saudi demographics will be considered equivalent to Saudi citizens for Saudisation metrics. These groups encompass non-Saudi mothers and widows of Saudi nationals, along with the children of Saudi women who are not Saudi citizens.
Moreover, Saudi employees working remotely or from home will receive the same consideration as their office-based counterparts. The Qiwa platform further notes that members of displaced tribes, Gulf Cooperation Council citizens, and Gulf athletes will be regarded on par with Saudis for Saudisation evaluations.
However, the Qiwa platform clarifies that specific foreign nationals will be counted as a fraction in Saudisation calculations. This category includes Palestinians with Egyptian passports and Baluchis, who will contribute to the Saudisation percentage at a rate of 0.25 per foreign worker. This means that employing four individuals from these groups is equivalent to one non-Saudi employee, with a stipulation that their number does not exceed 50% of the total workforce.
Additionally, individuals from Myanmar or Burma are subjected to this policy, where their employment ratio is set at 0.25 of the standard rate for foreign workers throughout the Kingdom. Yet, Burmese residents in the cities of Madinah and Makkah are exempt from these conditions.
